Oils are the most widely used sources for power generation in the world. Fuels and other products derived from crude oil offer a wide range of utility, i.e., from consumer uses such as fuels for engines and home heating to commercial and industrial uses such as fuels for boilers, furnaces, and power plants as well as specialty chemicals. Crude oils are a mixture of hydrocarbons differing widely in molecular weight, boiling and melting points, and reactivity, including light components and heavy components. Furthermore, components that are detrimental to the environment, such as sulfur compounds, naphthenes, and benzene-containing compounds, often remain in products obtained by refining processes.
Many processes have been developed to refine oils. Conventional refining processes include heating oils to very high temperatures and very high pressures. Considerable amounts of energy are required to heat oils in the refining process. And, apparatus capable of processing oils at high temperatures and pressures is expensive and relatively inefficient. Moreover, refining processes include the use of processing additives, such as catalysts, which typically consist of transition metals and/or aluminas, silicas, and/or zeolites, which are costly, are not recyclable, and must be replenished often.
Furthermore, oils and other oil-based materials, such as plastics, polymers, and other oil-based chemicals and products, are recycled in many municipalities. However, oils and oil-based products, which can be reclaimed as feedstocks, raises environmental concerns during transport and is commensurately expensive.
Therefore, the inventors have provided improved apparatus and methods to refine oils and other feedstocks.